Ezekiel 34:25 Kommentar

The iniquities and calamities of God's Israel had been largely and pathetically lamented before, in this book. Now in this chapter the shepherds of Israel, their rulers both in church and state, are called to an account, as having been very much accessory to the sin and ruin of Israel, by their neglecting to do the duty of their place. Here is, I. A high charge exhibited against them for their negligence, their unskillfulness, and unfaithfulness in the management of public affairs (Eze 34:1-6 and Eze 34:8). II. Their discharge from their trust, for their insufficiency and treachery (Eze 34:7-10). III. A gracious promise that God would take care of his flock, though they did not, and that it should not always suffer as it had done by their mal-administrations (Eze 34:11-16). IV. Another charge exhibited against those of the flock that were fat and strong, for the injuries they did to those that were weak and feeble (Eze 34:17-22). V. Another promise that God would in the fulness of time send the Messiah, to be the great and good Shepherd of the sheep, who should redress all grievances and set every thing to rights with the flock (Eze 34:23-31).

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 34 In the former chapter the prophet prophesies against the people of the Jews, both those of the captivity, and those who were not; and here against the shepherds of Israel. This he is bid to do, Eze 34:1, whose cruelty to the flock, negligence and unfaithfulness are exposed, Eze 34:3, for which reasons they are threatened to be deprived of their office, Eze 34:7, and the Lord promises to take the care of the flock upon himself, to seek out his sheep, and feed them, and do every kind office to them, Eze 34:11 and then the strong of the flock, that oppressed the weak, are threatened with punishment, Eze 34:17 and the promise of the Messiah, as the shepherd of the flock, is made, under whom all prosperity and happiness might be expected, Eze 34:23.

And I will make them, and the places round about my hill, a blessing,.... Alluding either to the city of Jerusalem, and the places adjacent; or to the temple, and the houses about it. So the Targum, "I will cause them to dwell round about the house of my sanctuary;'' and so Kimchi interprets it of the temple. Some Christian interpreters, by the "hill" or mountain, understand Christ; and not amiss; who may be compared to one for height; he being higher than the kings of the earth, or than the heavens and angels there, as man and Mediator; as well as is God over all, blessed for ever; and for fruitfulness, from whom the saints have all theirs, either in grace or good works; and for shade, he being the shadow of a great rock in a weary land; which yields delight and refreshment, and is a protection from the heat of a fiery law, flaming justice, the wrath of God and man, and the fiery darts of Satan; and for shelter and security, there being salvation in him, when none in other hills and mountains; and for duration and immovableness, being the same today, yesterday, and for ever: and now the persons about him are such who are made nigh by his blood; brought to him by his powerful and efficacious grace; are worshippers about the throne where he sits; such as cleave to him, and follow him wherever he goes, and shall be with him to all eternity; these he makes a blessing, or most blessed. So the Targum renders it, "and they shall be blessed;'' they are blessed in Christ their head; they are blessed through him as their Redeemer and Saviour, who was made a curse for them; they are blessed through being in him, and by the imputation of blessings to them from him, and through the application of them by his Spirit; their persons are blessed, and so are the places or habitations where they dwell: or rather this may be understood of the church of God, often compared to a hill for its height and eminence; for its fertility and fruitfulness; for its stability and firmness; and in allusion to the hill of Zion for its holiness, and being the place of the divine residence; see Psa 15:1 now, the persons about this hill are those who are come to Mount Zion the church of God; being brought there by the Lord himself, and who take up their abode there; who lie about this hill, as flocks of sheep, in their several folds or congregated churches; see Jer 23:3 and these the Lord makes a blessing to one another, by their spiritual conversation, prayers, and services of love; and to the world, to kingdoms and states, to cities, towns, and neighbourhoods, and to particular families, where they are placed; and even to the world in general; for they are the light, stay, and stability of it; and without which it would be in darkness, corrupt and putrefy, and not continue long: and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; which, in the spiritual sense, may design the Gospel; which, like a shower of rain, comes from God; descends from heaven; is a gift of God; which falls according to divine direction; refreshes, revives, and makes fruitful; brings a plenty of divine blessings with it; and comes in season, at its proper time; and is a word in season to weary souls: there shall be showers of blessings; which the Gospel brings with it; spiritual blessings, blessings of grace; such as peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life: these, like showers, come from God; are free grace gifts of his, of which there is a large abundance; and which descend on Mount Zion the church of God; which is another Gerizim, on which the blessings are pronounced, Psa 133:3.

(Verse 25 onwards) And I will make a covenant (or testament) of peace with them, and I will cause the most harmful beasts to cease from the earth, and those who dwell in the wilderness will sleep safely in the woods. And I will place them around my hill as a blessing, and I will bring rain in its season, and the rains will be a blessing. And the trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will give its increase, and they will dwell in their land without fear (or in the hope of peace), and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the yoke and deliver them from the hand of those who have enslaved them. And they will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will the beasts of the earth devour them, but they will dwell securely (or in hope) without any fear. And I will raise up for them a renowned offspring (or a peaceable plantation), and they will no longer be cut off (or destroyed) by famine in the land, nor bear the reproach of the nations anymore. And they will know that I am the Lord their God, for I am with them, and they are my people, the house of Israel, declares the Lord God. But you, my flock, are men, the flock of my pasture (or sheep), and I am the Lord your God, says the Lord God. Then he will make a covenant of peace with them, not of war or discord, for his dwelling place is in peace (Psalm 75), but the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4), who says: My peace I give to you: my peace I leave with you (John 14, 27). And he will cause the most harmful creatures to cease from the earth, vices, or disturbances, by which human souls are tormented: or opposing powers, by which they are attacked. And those who dwell in the wilderness shall sleep securely in the forests. For the Lord will reveal the hidden places of the woods, and in His temple all shall declare glory (Ps. 28:9). And with the beasts driven away and the land reduced to solitude, those who sleep securely shall say: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear (Ps. 26:1)? And He will place them, who sleep securely, around His mountain or hill, and they shall receive blessings. Then he will give rain in its season, and there will be rain of blessings, which he promises in the blessings of Deuteronomy (Deut. XXVIII). And he will give, it is said, the tree of life, of which it is written in Genesis (Genes. II): and the tree of wisdom, of which it is said, It is a tree of life to all who take hold of it (Prov. III, 18). And he will give its fruit, when the earth also gives its fruit: whether it be the trees of the regions, a great multitude of the saints. And the earth will give its fruit: for truth has arisen from the earth (Ps. 84, 12). And they shall be in their land without fear, or in the hope of peace, in the land of the living, in the land of the meek, of whom it is written: Blessed are the meek; for they shall possess the land (Matt. 5, 4): so that they may know by the happiness of all things that He is the Lord: when He has broken the chains, or the iron circle of their yoke, with which they were oppressed as if by a most severe power, and has freed them from the hand of those who held them in power or afflicted them with servitude. For everyone is a slave of whoever conquers them. And they will no longer be a prey to demonic nations; nor will the beasts of the earth devour those of whom we have spoken: but they will dwell confidently without any fear, according to the above explanation. And I will raise up for them a named offspring, or a planting of peace, which is spoken of in the Gospel: I am the true vine (John 15:1). And they will no longer be diminished by hunger on the earth. Therefore, hunger is on earth: the hunger to hear the word of God, which, under a good shepherd and a named branch, and celebrated in the speech of all, and the planting of peace, will never be on earth; nor will they be subjected any longer to the reproaches of the nations, saying: Where is their God (Psalm 113, 10)? And after all this, it is known that not only is He the Lord, as He Himself had said before, but with the addition that He is the Lord of all and truly their God, with those who says in the Gospel to the Apostles: Behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28, 20). But when He Himself shall be their Lord God, then they shall also be His people, not anyone, but those who have merited to be called the house of Israel. And so that we may not think that all that has been said pertains to shepherds and goats and rams, He solves the riddle, or rather the metaphor, and states more plainly: But you are My sheep, and you, men, are the sheep of My pasture. Therefore, every divine word is for human beings, to whom He says: I am the Lord your God, says the Lord God.

What is “in the desert”? In solitude. What is in solitude? Inside, in the conscience. It is a solitude indeed, because not only do no other human beings cross it, they do not even see it. Let us dwell there in hope, because we are not yet there in fact. After all, everything we have outside chops and changes with the storms and trials of the world. The desert is inside; that is where we should interrogate our faith.

The prophet is commanded to declare the dreadful judgments of God against the covetous shepherds of Israel, who feed themselves, and not their flocks; by which emblem the priests and Levites are intended, who in Ezekiel's time were very corrupt, and the chief cause of Israel's apostasy and ruin, Eze 34:1-10. From this gloomy subject the prophet passes to the blessedness of the true Israel of God under the reign of David, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ being named after this prince by a figure exceedingly frequent in the sacred oracles, of putting the type for the antitype, vv. 11-31.

I will make with them a covenant of peace - The original is emphatic: וכרתי להם ברית שלום vecharatti lahem berith shalom, "And I will cut with them the peace covenant;" that is, a covenant sacrifice, procuring and establishing peace between God and man, and between man and his fellows. I need not tell the reader that the cutting refers to the ancient mode of making covenants. The blood was poured out; the animal was divided from mouth to tail, exactly in two; the divisions placed opposite to each other; the contracting parties entered into the space, going in at each end, and met in the middle, and there took the covenant oath. He is the Prince of peace, and through him come glory to God in the highest, and peace and good will to men upon earth. And will cause the evil beasts to cease - These false and ravenous pastors. Christ purges them out of his Church, and destroys that power by which they lorded it over God's heritage.

REPROOF OF THE FALSE SHEPHERDS; PROMISE OF THE TRUE AND GOOD SHEPHERD. (Eze. 34:1-31) Jer 23:1 and Zac 11:17 similarly make the removal of the false shepherds the preliminary to the interposition of Messiah the Good Shepherd in behalf of His people Israel. The "shepherds" are not prophets or priests, but rulers who sought in their government their own selfish ends, not the good of the people ruled. The term was appropriate, as David, the first king and the type of the true David (Eze 34:23-24), was taken from being a shepherd (Sa2 5:2; Psa 78:70-71); and the office, like that of a shepherd for his flock, is to guard and provide for his people. The choice of a shepherd for the first king was therefore designed to suggest this thought, just as Jesus' selection of fishermen for apostles was designed to remind them of their spiritual office of catching men (compare Isa 44:28; Jer 2:8; Jer 3:15; Jer 10:21; Jer 23:1-2).

covenant of peace . . . evil beasts . . . to cease . . . dwell safely--The original promise of the law (Lev 26:6) shall be realized for the first time fully under Messiah (Isa 11:6-9; Isa 35:9; Hos 2:18).